More Education Needed Before Malaysia Revisits Rome Statute

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More needs to be done to educate the Malaysian public before the country can try ratifying the Rome Statute again, said United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk.
“I think what is needed is further education about what (ratifying the Rome Statute) means for a country and to overcome some of the misconceptions,” he said.
He spoke during a press conference at the UN office in Putrajaya today.
In 2019, shortly after the then-Pakatan Harapan federal government signed the Rome Statute, there was an uproar against the move.
The Johor royal family had argued it would render the Malay rulers irrelevant and impact the status of Malays and Islam in Malaysia. Umno also protested the move.
The pushback caused Putrajaya to withdraw from the Rome Statute - an international treaty against war crimes which places its signees under the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Now, five years later, Malaysia’s decision to rescind its status as a signatory of the statute has come back to bite it.
Because Malaysia is not a signatory, it cannot refer Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the ICC for war crimes against Palestinians in Gaza.
This is despite pressure for Putrajaya to make its voice against the Israeli government heard on the international stage.
Currently, 124 countries are States Parties to the Rome Statute of the ICC.
Turk highlighted the importance of upholding accountability when a nation becomes party to the statute.
“Accountability is what is missing in most human rights crises around the world. So, it’s important to keep that up,” he said.
Turk is on a working visit to Malaysia today at the invitation of the government.
The Foreign Ministry said in a statement yesterday (June 3) that the visit is part of Malaysia’s ongoing engagement with the UN to raise human rights awareness.
Turk met Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and held meetings with several ministers. He also met with the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) and members of civil society.
This is Turk’s maiden trip to Southeast Asia as high commissioner for human rights. He is accompanied by senior officials from Geneva and Bangkok. They will also visit Thailand and Laos.
This is the second visit by a UN high commissioner for human rights to Malaysia, following former high commissioner Michelle Bachelet’s visit in 2019. - Mkini

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